Texas Rangers Blog

David Murphy: Nelson Cruz is the ‘type of player that can change the game with one swing and that’s what he did’

ARLINGTON – If Nelson Cruz truly busted out of his playoff slump on Saturday the Rangers might want to start planning the parade.

Well, maybe that’s going a little too far, too soon.

But Cruz’s fourth-inning home run off of Justin Verlander not only helped the Rangers gain a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, it also snapped a 0-for-10 postseason slump for a player that hit six homers during last year’s run to the World Series.

“He’s such a big game player and you knew it was going to happen eventually,” Rangers left fielder David Murphy said. “He’s the type of player that can change the game with one swing and that’s what he did tonight. It’ll be huge if we can get him going the way he was last year in the postseason.”

Cruz has become a serious home run threat over the past three regular seasons in Texas, hitting 84 total during that time. His solo shot on Saturday gave him seven postseason homers, which is a new Rangers playoff record.

“Definitely the last few games I felt like I was swinging the bat well,” Cruz said. “It was important to get a win and the home run just came at the right time.”